The Seagull

epub:type="z3998:persona">Madame Arkadin Really? He did not choose an ordinary play, however, but made us listen to this decadent delirium. For the sake of a joke I am ready to listen to delirium, but here we have pretensions to new forms and a new view of art. To my thinking it’s no question of new forms at all, but simply bad temper. Trigorin Everyone writes as he likes and as he can. Madame Arkadin Let him write as he likes and as he can, only let him leave me in peace. Dorn Jupiter! you are angry.⁠ ⁠… Madame Arkadin I am not Jupiter⁠—I am a woman lights a cigarette. I am not angry⁠—I am only vexed that a young man should spend his time so drearily. I did not mean to hurt his feelings. Medvedenko Νο one has any grounds to separate spirit from matter, seeing that spirit itself may be a combination of material atoms. With animation, to Trigorin. But you know someone ought to write a play on how we poor teachers live, and get it acted. We have a hard, hard life. Madame Arkadin That’s true, but don’t let us talk either of plays or of atoms. It is such a glorious evening! Do you hear? There is singing! Listens. How nice it is! Polina It’s on the other side of the lake a pause. Madame Arkadin To Trigorin. Sit down beside me. Ten or fifteen years ago there were sounds of music and singing on that lake continually almost every night. There are six country houses on the shores of the lake. I remember laughter, noise, shooting, and love affairs without end.⁠ ⁠… The jeune premier and the idol of all those six households was in those days our friend here, the doctor motions with her head towards Dorn, Yevgeny Sergeitch. He is fascinating still, but in those days he was irresistible. But my conscience is beginning to trouble me. Why did I hurt my poor boy’s feelings? I feel worried. Aloud. Kostya! Son! Kostya! Masha I’ll go and look for him. Madame Arkadin Please do, my dear. Masha Going to the left. Aa‑oo! Konstantin Gavrilitch! Aa‑oo! Goes off. Nina Coming out from behind the stage. Apparently there will be no going on, and I may come out. Good evening! Kisses Madame Arkadin and Polina Andreyevna. Sorin Bravo! Bravo! Madame Arkadin Bravo! Bravo! We admired you. With such an appearance, with such a lovely voice, you really cannot stay in the country; it is a sin. You must have talent. Do you hear? It’s your duty to go on the stage. Nina Oh, that’s my dream! Sighing. But it will never be realised. Madame Arkadin Who knows? Here, let me introduce Boris Alexyevitch Trigorin. Nina Oh, I am so glad⁠ ⁠… overcome with embarrasment. I am always reading your⁠ ⁠… Madame Arkadin Making her sit down beside them. Don’t be shy, my dear. He is a celebrity, but he has a simple heart. You see, he is shy himself. Dorn I suppose we may raise the curtain; it’s rather uncanny. Shamraev Aloud. Yakov, pull up the curtain, my lad. The curtain goes up. Nina To Trigorin. It is a queer play, isn’t it? Trigorin I did not understand it at all. But I enjoyed it. You acted so genuinely. And the scenery was delightful a pause. There must be a lot of fish in that lake. Nina Yes. Trigorin I love angling. There is nothing I enjoy so much as sitting on the bank of a river in the evening and watching the float. Nina But I should have thought that for anyone who has known the enjoyment of creation, no other enjoyment can exist. Madame Arkadin Laughing. Don’t talk like that. When people say nice things to him he is utterly floored. Shamraev I remember one evening in the opera theatre in Moscow the celebrated Silva took the lower C! As it happened, there was sitting in the gallery the bass of our church choir, and all at once⁠—imagine our intense astonishment⁠—we heard from the gallery “Bravo, Silva!” a whole octave lower⁠—like this: in a deep bass “Bravo, Silva!” The audience sat spellbound a pause. Dorn The angel of silence as flown over us. Nina It’s time for me to go. Goodbye. Madame Arkadin Where are you off to? Why so early? We won’t let you go. Nina My father expects me. Madame Arkadin What a man, really⁠ ⁠… kisses her. Well, there is no help for it. I am sorry⁠—I am sorry to let you go. Nina If you knew how grieved I am to. Madame Arkadin Someone ought to see you home, my little dear. Nina Frightened. Oh, no, no! Sorin To her, in an imploring voice. Do stay! Nina I can’t, Pyotr Nikolayevitch. Sorin Stay for an hour. What is there in that? Nina Thinking a minute, tearfully. I can’t! Shakes hands and hurriedly goes off. Madame Arkadin Unfortunate girl she is, really. They say her mother left her father all her immense property⁠—every farthing of it⁠—and now the girl has got nothing, as her father has already made a will leaving everything to his second wife. It’s monstrous! Dorn Yes, her father is a pretty thorough scoundrel, one must do him the justice to say so. Sorin Rubbing his cold hands. Let us go too, it’s getting damp. My legs ache. Madame Arkadin They seem like wooden legs, you can hardly walk. Let us go, unlucky old man! Takes his arm. Shamraev Offering his arm to his wife. Madame? Sorin I hear that dog howling again. To Shamraev. Be so kind, Ilya Afanasyitch, as to tell them to let it off the chain. Shamraev It’s impossible, Pyotr Nikolayevitch, I am afraid of thieves getting into the barn. Our millet is there. To Medvedenko who is walking beside him. Yes, a whole octave lower: “Bravo, Silva!” And he not a singer⁠—simply a church chorister! Medvedenko And what salary does a chorister get? All go out except Dorn. Dorn Alone. I don’t know, perhaps